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A Project-Based Mechatronics Program to Reinforce Mechatronic Thinking -

A Restructuring Experience from the University of Canterbury

Article · January 2008

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 A Project-Based Mechatronics Program to Reinforce Mechatronic Thinking
– A Restructuring Experience from the University of Canterbury
XiaoQi Chen*, Paul Gaynor**, Richard King*, Geoff J Chase*, Phil Bones**, Peter Gough**, Richard Duke***

*Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury,

Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
** Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury,
Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
*** Dean, College Office, College of Engineering, University of Canterbury,
Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
Tel: +64 3 364 2987 Email: xiaoqi.chen@canterbury.ac.nz

Abstract: The approach taken during restructuring the Mechatronics Program at the University of
Canterbury is described, along with challenges faced. The background of the University of Canterbury
Mechatronics program is examined, as are the challenges of integrating the program within the Department
of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. The new
Mechatronics program features integrative projects during each of three Professional Education years to
reinforce students’ “mechatronic” thinking and hands-on abilities. The project-based course “Introduction
to Mechatronics Design” features a series of application-oriented laboratory projects using a
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The restructured program of balanced essential skills training
coupled with focus streams of specialization may signal a paradigm shift in engineering education.

industry. Many US universities, for example the University

1. INTRODUCTION
Mechatronics is the name coined in the early 1980’s for the
study of the combined fields of Mechanical Engineering,
Electronics and Computers (Ashley, 1997). Since the 1990s,
many mechatronics engineering degree programs have been
created in tertiary educations throughout the world. They
exist at different levels, from Diplomas in mechatronics,
Bachelor degrees in mechatronics, to Master degrees in
mechatronics. This trend in higher learning institutions has
been exacerbated in the advent of rapid development of
computer control hardware and software and realisation of
the benefits of integrating computer control into
electromechanical systems. Computers play a variety of roles
in mechatronic systems, from modelling, simulation,
validation, visualisation, measurement, data acquisition to
digital control (Craig, 2003).
Market drivers, technological advancements, and
globalisation of manufacturing are leading to increased
interaction between different disciplines – mechanics,
electronics, computers, embedded control software, computer
control involved in different domains (Vossler et al., 2005).
The increasing convergence of mechanical,
electrical/electronics and embedded software in design and
manufacture of modern electromechanical products has
driven the demand for mechatronics system design (Aberdeen
Group, 2006). There is also a rising demand of mechatronics
engineering studies in the Middle East (Tutunji et al., 2007).
In the USA, there are few mechatronics engineering degree
courses although the importance of mechatronics as a new
area of expertise has been acknowledged by academics and
of California (Berkeley), Colorado State University, Virginia
Polytechnic, and Rensselaer Polytechnic, offer mechatronics
engineering courses as technical electives in the Mechanical
Engineering curriculum (Das et al., 2005). On the other hand,
many universities in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and
New Zealand are offering mechatronics undergraduate or
postgraduate degrees.
Colorado State University restructured its mechanical
engineering program with a mechatronics theme. The result
is a curriculum with contemporary emphasis, enhanced
content, and improved sequencing and coupling of traditional
topics including modelling and analysis, computing,
electrical circuits and machines, measurements and
instrumentation, control theory, and design (Alciatore at al.,
2001). Tri-State University institutes weekly projects to
provide the students with a hands-on learning experience
(Kiefer, 2006). Electrical Engineering at the University of
Twente offers the BSc with a one-semester mechatronics
related content and a mechatronics design project. It also
offers a two-year MSc in Mechatronics, together with the
department of Mechanical Engineering (van Amerongen,
2006).
This paper reports the results of mechatronics programme
restructuring at the University of Canterbury. It starts with
the background of the program and the rationale behind the
changes. It then describes the approach to the restructuring
exercise. The outcome is the integrative project-based
mechatronics program which ensures a project-based course
for each of the three Professional Education years. The
whole-year project-based mechatronics introductory course
for the second year of study is presented, an example of
application-oriented lab project “Water tank control” being
illustrated. Future plans for the program are highlighted.
2. RATIONALE AND APPROACH
2.1 Background and Rationale
Professional (discipline specialization) Education at the
University of Canterbury is contained in the final three years
of a four-year education plan. All Engineering students
undertake an extensively common first year, termed the
Intermediate Year. At the conclusion of their Intermediate
Year, students apply for admission to the various professional
programs, and are selected based on their preference and
performance during that initial year.
In the second year, they are streamed into different
engineering programs to undertake further three professional
years of training. These engineering degree programs include
Mechanical Engineering (ME), Electrical and Electronic
Engineering (EEE), Mechatronics, Forestry, Civil
Engineering, and Chemical and Processing Engineering.
The mechatronics professional program was started at the
University of Canterbury in 2004, with a limited intake of 15
students. It has grown to an intake of 30 students per year in
2007. As in other engineering programs at the University of
Canterbury, the mechatronics engineering students take
common engineering courses in their first (Intermediate)
year. For them to prepare for their mechatronics degree
studies, the following courses are taken in their first year:
Physics, Chemistry, Engineering Mathematics, Mathematical
Modelling and Computation, Engineering Mechanics, and
Foundations of Engineering.
While the common engineering courses in the Intermediate
Year are fairly standard, the curriculum development for the
remaining three Professional Education years of the
mechatronics program proves to be challenging. It is always
tempting and a matter of convenience to put in place the
multi-disciplinary mechatronics engineering undergraduate
program by combining essential topics from mechanical
engineering, electronics, and computer engineering. The
University of Canterbury went down in the similar path at the
initiation of its mechatronics program. The program, based in
the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was essentially a
collection of relevant courses offered in ME, and ECE. There
has been a lack of coherence and systemic approach in
delivering “synergistic integration of the three components –
mechanical engineering, electronics, and computer control”
which is supposed to be the cornerstone of “Mechatronics”.
As a result, problems with the program began to surface:
• Students lack prerequisites for some classes.
Consequently they have limited choice of electives as
their study progresses.
• There were no dedicated mechatronics courses which
integrate various mechatronics components to reinforce
students’ mechatronics design skills.
• There was a lack of sufficient mechatronics project work
and laboratories, which makes the program a loose
combination of mechanical engineering, and electrical
and computer engineering courses.
• Students face timetabling issues, and have concerns of
work overload.
These issues had called for revamping and overhaul of the
program in order to continue the offering of the degree
courses at the time when the original program director
retired. During the transition period, Dr. Paul Gaynor
(Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering) was
selected as the interim program director. Under his direction,
the second year course was restructured to include significant
mechatronics design content. In August 2006, Professor
Richard King (Oregon Institute of Technology, USA) was
appointed as a visiting fellow to further the restructuring and
to create the new course “ENMT201 Introduction to
Mechatronics Design”. In the meantime, the University
appointed a senior faculty member Associate Professor
XiaoQi Chen as the Director of Mechatronics Program to
lead the program, who came on board in November 2006.
2.2 Approaches
In restructuring the program, a thorough analysis of the
existing program was accomplished, present course syllabi
and outcomes being examined. A comprehensive survey of
various mechatronics engineering programs has been
conducted. Feedback from students has been taken into
account. It was decided that existing courses must be
streamlined and re-aligned, and new courses need to be
developed to support the project-based teaching. The
important ingredients of a good mechatronics program were
quickly identified, namely, project-based mechatronics
teaching, hands-on laboratory work, and industry sponsored
projects. Key principles and guidelines were adhered to in the
program restructuring:
• The program must have strong support and commitment
from the departments involved, mainly mechanical
engineering, and electrical and computer engineering. It
should be cross-department fertilisation to enhance
engineering education at the University of Canterbury
which has already been enjoying excellent reputation.
• Significant design projects are the focus, with students
undertaking a series of designs as they progress through
the program.
• Every professional year must have design projects.
• There must be sufficient laboratory work which is
carried out concurrently with course work.
• There must be a strong presence of industry interests in
the program through project sponsorship and
consultation.
The restructuring of the program has to operate with two
constraints. One principal constraint is the limitation on
student contact hours. It would be a simple matter to declare evolved into postgraduate projects. Industry advisory
everything taught in both mechanical engineering and members are invited to attend student’s project presentations.
electrical and computer engineering as essential, and thus
have the mechatronics program contain all of both; the only 3. INTEGRATIVE PROJECT-BASED
problem would be that the program would be seven years in MECHATRONICS PROGRAM
length! Clearly, this is not an option.
In the new mechatronics curriculum, mechatronics students
Another constraint is the need to minimise specialized will encounter mechatronics-specific courses from the
courses wherever practicable. As the mechatronics program beginning of their professional training, namely Introduction
matures and grows, specialized courses will become more to Mechatronics Design in the 2nd year, Mechatronics System
frequent as a matter of “fine-tuning” the program. Increased Design in th 3rd year, and Mechatronics Project in the 4th
teaching loads due to program growth in both Mechanical year. The new mechatronics course structure is shown in Fig.
Engineering enrolment and Mechatronics enrolment justifies 1, while the Intermediate Year is not affected by the
hiring of new faculty members, which will then permit more restructuring.
mechatronics-specific courses.
Electronics Focus
The restructured program balances essential skill training electives
required for mechatronics, which means equitable Signal Processing
Computer H/W Engrg
involvement from both the Department of Mechanical Power Electronics 2
Engineering (ME) and the Department of Electrical and Physics Electronics 2, Robotics
Computer Engineering (ECE). The relationships between the Chemistry Software Engrg
program and the two departments have been harmoniously Engrg Mathematics Economics & Mgm
Choose 2 from these
tied together through the Board of Studies (BOS) chaired by Mathematical Modelling electives (prepare for Smart Product and
& Computation
the Director of the Program. The BOS consisting of the Dean focus streams) Systems electives
Engrg Mechanics Computer H/W Engrg
of the College, the Coordinator of ME, the Coordinator of Signals
Foundations of Engrg Power Electronics 2
ECE, and key faculty members oversees the program Electronics 1
Adv Control, Mfg Auto
1st Year Computer Hardware
curriculum development. (Intermediate Year) Computer Vision, CAPD,
Comp Software & Engrg Robotics, Industrial Mgm
The mechatronics program has a significant number of core Fluidic Mechanics A
Principles of Electronics Manufacturing Focus
ME courses, but will have extensive training in ECE courses electives
Computers & Modelling Engrg Appl Math &
as well. Of necessity, some ME courses are eliminated, Statistics Adv Mfg Tech, Vibration,
Mechanics of Materials
combined with other courses, or offered as electives. The Power Electronics CAPD, Robotics,
Eng. Thermodynamics
program has a close relationship with the Department of Operation & Quality Mgm
Mfg Auto, Industrial Mgm
Mechanics of Machines Mech Sys Design
Electrical and Computer Engineering. Many of the courses Dynamics
Calculus & Algebra Appl Fluid Mechanics
selected for the mechatronics program have their origins in Control Engineering
Mathematical Modelling
ECE, where such courses fit in with the program design. In & Computation 2 Microprocessors Modern Control Theory

other instances, portions of existing courses are mixed with Mechatronics System Measurement Technology
Intro to Mechatronics
Design Mechatronics Project
other topics, producing limited coverage of some topics Design

without overloading students by having them take the full-
length ECE course. A limitation exists with ECE courses,
since they are all full-year courses; this makes “mix and
match” strategies difficult to implement. Nevertheless, it
proved possible to include sufficient flexibility in the
mechatronics program to allow students to comply with most
ECE courses and their pre-requisites. Faculty members who
deliver the courses are actively engaged to avoid any gaps in
students’ pre-requisites as they progress in their professional
training.
During curriculum restructuring, we engaged International
Advisory Members for their views on our proposed course
structure and continual improvement of our course structure.
The Erskine Visiting Fellowship, a unique academic
exchange scheme at the University, has been used to engage
international experts to deliver courses.
We fully recognise that the mechatronics discipline is
evolving as the technology progresses at a rapid pace.
Industry engagement through an Industry Advisory Board
ensures that the Program is relevant to industry needs, and
also secures industry-funded projects for the fourth year
mechatronics design projects. Some of these projects have
2ndYear (1st 3rdYear (2nd 4th Year (3rd
Professional Year) Professional Year) Professional Year)
Fig. 1. An overview of the integrative project-based
mechatronics program.
What makes this program unique is the emphasis on
laboratory exercises and project design from the second year
to the fourth year. How else do students learn about
mechatronics design except by practicing it? Is there a better
way to teach it? We do not believe so. The mechatronics
program’s greatest strength will be found in projects the
students design. There is a design thread from the 2nd year
(1st Professional year) all the way to the 4th year (3rd
Professional year). Students generally work in groups of two
or four, the level of the design challenge rises with
progression through the program, and the final result is a
concrete demonstrable project – students have the
opportunities to design and build. In the new course structure,
the 2nd year students are exposed to mechatronics control
concepts through the whole year course “Introduction of
Mechatronics Design” featuring a series of laboratory
projects, at the very beginning of their professional training.
The second feature of the new course structure is the focus on
making the program integrative through projects, i.e. there is
an effort made to ensure that a project or assignment in one
class is utilized during a project in another class next
semester or next year. In this way, students are encouraged
to pay attention to lectures and labs in those early classes,
since that knowledge gained will be put to use in future
project designs. This is intended for the project-based course
“Mechatronics System Design” in the 3rd year. Apart from
the knowledge on mechanical design, actuators and sensors
that are covered in the course, students have to relate other
courses such as computer hardware, software and control in
their design of mobile machines.
The third feature of the program is industry sponsored final
year Mechatronics Projects. The students usually work in
groups of three or four, but individual projects are allowed
depending on the scope of the project. These projects are
jointly co-supervised by an academic member and the
industry mentor. As such, the industry sponsors contribute to
part of the project costs as well as technical progress of the
project. In many cases, the results are adopted by the
sponsoring companies.
Finally the restructured program provides flexibility in “fine
tuning” individual studies by devising the focus streams in
the final year, as shown in Fig. 1. The three focus streams
are:
• Manufacturing
• Smart Products & Systems
• Electronics
The recommended streaming caters for students’ interests and
strength, helps students choose their electives in the 3rd and
4th year, and guides their career development. It is necessary
for the students to consider which streams they wish to place
their focus on as early as during the 3rd year. Therefore the
mechatronics program was planned in such way that electives
are available during the 3rd year. This allows students to take
the necessary pre-requisite courses, and select a focus during
their final year studies.
In essence, the new program provides a broad coverage of
essential contents in mechanical, electronics, computer
control and mechatronics design, but allows students to
specialise in a focus stream of their choice. Our approach of
balanced mechatronics training coupled with some degree of
specialisation in the final year appears to be opposite to the
generalist approach of most mechatronics programs. Could it
be a paradigm shift in engineering education?
4. LABORATORY-BASED MECHATRONICS DESIGN
All courses for the 2nd year are prescribed and compulsory.
As shown in Fig. 1, these courses include Electronics,
Computers & Modelling, Mechanics of Materials, Mechanics
of Machines, Engineering Thermodynamics, Mathematics,
Numerical Modelling and Computation 2, and Introduction to
Mechatronics Design.
It is always challenging to introduce mechatronics control
concepts to the students after they barely understand some
basics of engineering from their 1st year courses. They have
not learnt much about control theories and computer
programming. Because of this fact, many mechatronics
programs defer this important part of training to senior years
and even postgraduates.
Our view is that the earlier the students are exposed to
mechatronics system control, the more effective they are
tuned to mechatronics training at the later stages. However
the students are just learning about Electronics and
microprocessors; and it is too soon to utilize them in a
project. Hence the laboratories and project have to be
carefully designed so that these hands-on training areas
achieve the objectives of reinforcing students’ mechatronic
thinking and that the students are able to absorb the
knowledge.
After careful consideration and evaluation, Programmable
Logic Controllers (PLCs) were chosen as the platform for all
laboratory work and projects for the 2nd year (first
professional year) design course “Introduction to
Mechatronics Design” because of its ability to accomplish
significant tasks with simple graphical programming.
Electronics and computer issues are minimized, and yet the
students can readily understand ladder logic diagram, and
profit from a significant design challenge.
This whole-year course “Introduction to Mechatronics
Design” serves as a foundation for the three professional
education years in mechatronics engineering. It covers
important topics of mechatronics systems. These topics
include mechatronics design approach, PLC, mechatronics
components (actuators, sensors, signal conditioning),
mechanical design, electrical design, electrical circuit
theorems, introduction to control, and introduction to project
management. In the electrical design, PSpice and Protel are
well covered, and one design assignment for each design
software is carried out in the Electronics Design Lab. As for
the mechanical design, students use SolidWorks to complete
two design projects.
This introductory mechatronics design course with balanced
ingredients aims to equip the students with baseline
knowledge about mechatronics systems, and basic
mechatronics design skills. Emphasis is placed on “Learning
by Doing” through a series of mechatronics laboratory
projects, which involves PLC programming, sensors,
actuators and control, input and output devices, and data
acquisition.
The specially-designed laboratory projects using PLC put
emphasis on the students’ problem-solving and hands-on
abilities. This provokes the students to think
“mechatronically”; and to link component technologies to
integrated mechatronics systems, and theories to applications.
It is a deliberate attempt to have the students consider the
integration of mechanical (to a less degree), electronic,
controls, and computer knowledge in various automation
tasks while they take the course work concurrently.
The key to the success of the design course is the
establishment of a Programmable Logic Controller
Laboratory. We chose the Omron Sysmac CP1H model and
CX-Programmer as the basic platform. The laboratory
contains 18 sets of PLC stations. Fig. 2 shows the basic setup
of the PLC apparatus which consists of the Omron PLC and
relays, the in-house design-and-built terminal junction box
and the steel frame for mounting various modules and
components and cabling. The close-up of PLC and relays is
shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 2. The basic PLC setup consisting of Omron PLC,
relays, a junction box, and a fixturing frame.
Fig. 3. A close-up of Omron PLC (left) and relays (right).
Fig. 4. A close-up of the 4MT junction box.
Students wire the field devices to interface junction box 4MT
instead of directly to the input modules and output modules
of the PLC. As such, the junction box, as shown in Fig. 4,
provides some protection from misuse of the PLCs.
Five application-oreinted PLC lab projects have been
designed. Each lab project is a self-contained project excersie
addressing a specfic application. These lab projects are:
• Sequencing control using promixity sensors.
• Car washing process automation (buttons and indicators
are used simulate various stages of car washing).
• Water tank level control.
• Stepper motor control.
• DC motor velocity control (including optical encoders).
A common application for Programmable Logic Controllers
is to control a machine or process. In the lab project “Water
tank level control”, the PLC is utilised to control the water
level in the system tank. The block diagram of the plant to be
controlled is shown in Fig. 5.
PLC
Pressure
sensor
input to
PLC
System
Pressure
Tank
sensor
Control
command
Manual
to pump
Valve
motor
Supply Tank
Pump
Fig. 5. A block diagram of water tank level control system.
The plant has two tanks, a system tank and a supply tank. The
system tank drains water to the supply tank via a manual
valve. The pump, switched on/off by a digital output of the
PLC, supplies water to the system tank to maintain desired
water level. As such the water recycles between the two
tanks. Once the valve is set manually, the water flows from
the system tank to the supply tank continuously. A pressure
sensor measures the water level in the system tank, and the
control decision is made based on the water level reading.
Additionally, a float switch, hard wired in series with the
pump motor, is located in the system tank to prevent
overflow in case that the program malfunctions. When the
float switch is triggered, the pump stops automatically. The
following control steps are defined:
1. Read “PRESSURE SENSOR”.
2. If the sensor detects the “UPPPER LEVEL”, switch off
the “PUMP”.
3. If the sensor detects “LOWER LEVEL”, switch on
“PUMP”
4. If the water level is between “UPPER LEVEL” and
“LOWER LEVEL”, no action is required.
Students, working in pairs, design a ladder logic diagram to
implement the feedback control. Obviously for the plant to
work, the flow rate of the supply, once switched on, must be
greater the drain. The students are further challenged to make
their programs flexible so that the “UPPER LEVEL” and
“LOWER LEVEL” can be adjusted in real time. The on-the-
fly set-point adjustment stimulates students’ critical thinking.
Through this lab, the students understand important
mechatronics concepts and components: feedback control,
pressure sensor, hard-wired safety, actuator (valve), analog
input, analog-to-digital conversion, relay to control AC
supply to the pump, digital output for on/off control of the
pump. In addition to the five laboratory sessions that are
completed in the first semester, a design project on elevator
control using PLC has also been designed for the second
semester of the course.
5. WORK IN PROGRESS
The revamping of the mechatronics engineering
undergraduate degree program is a work-in-progress. So far
the new structure for the 2nd year has been implemented
smoothly. The cornerstone course “Introduction to
Mechatronics Design” for the 2nd year reinforces students’
mechatronics thinking through a series of laboratory projects
at the beginning of their professional training.
The new course structure for the 3rd year and 4th year will be
implemented in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The key
component of the 3rd year training will be “Mechatronics
System Design”. In addition to the course work, the students
are required to draw on knowledge from their pre-requisites
they have learnt in the 2nd year, and work as a team to design
and build mobile machines. A new faculty member has been
appointed to champion this project-based course.
The proposed three focus streams in the final year will be
refined. The core (compulsory) course “Measurement
Technology” will be created. The elective course “Vibration”
will be revived. The new elective course “Robotics” will be
developed, and open to all engineering students. As far as the
final year mechatronics projects are concerned, more and
closer industry collaborations will be sought.
Mechatronics discipline is contemporary and evolving. It is
the very nature of mechatronics to change, and the University
of Canterbury mechatronics program is no different. While
the focus will remain with projects and mechatronics design,
developments in other relevant fields will be added to the
program over time.
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6. CONCLUSIONS
The University of Canterbury has taken a systematic
approach to restructure all three professional years of the
mechatronics program. The new program puts the focus on
hands-on training and critical thinking through laboratory
work and projects. The early introduction of mechatronics
design, anchored by a series of application-oriented
laboratories and projects based on Programmable Logic
Control, provokes students to think “mechatronically” right
from the beginning of their professional training. The flexible
approach of coupling broad-based mechatronics training with
focus streams of specialisation to some degree may signal a
paradigm shift in engineering education.
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